The Conservation of Matter
by CanticumExMachina
Summary: Steam Powered Giraffe - The robots come across a stranger who has made some very dangerous enemies in the Beciles. The trouble is, while she doesn't know why they are after her, she does seem to know a lot more than she should. The answers lie in a long-forgotten chapter of Walter history.
1. The Stranger

**1. The Stranger**

The girl found herself in a theater, and she wasn't entirely sure how she got there. She knew that she had come through the door in the alleyway, and before that she had come from a street, another street, something that looked like a construction site, a dark and dusty room with the word "CORRA" written on the door. Beyond that, everything was too foggy to recall. But she was in a theater now and she was uncertain how to proceed. With no clear direction, her curiosity won out. She walked onto the stage.

The theater was empty. Aside from a few instruments, it looked like most of the equipment had been packed away. By far the most interesting things on the stage were the three motionless figures. They were standing in a line, but they were all slumped over slightly. Upon closer inspection, the girl could see that they were robots, sharply dressed in black and red. The one on the far left was bronze or brass and had an orange mustache, the one in the center was silver and sported a fedora, and the one on the right had a face of partially oxidized copper and a pair of goggles on its hat. The girl concluded that whatever they were for, they must be turned off now.

She continued to walk across the stage when a sudden whirring and clicking sound behind her stopped her in her tracks. She whirled around. The silver robot was standing up straight and had fixed its glowing green eyes on her.

"Excuse me, miss," it said. Its voice was a surprisingly warm and pleasant baritone. "Can I help you with something?"

Perhaps it was the shock of being confronted with a living robot, or the fact that she hadn't eaten in as long as she could remember, or perhaps it was both. Whatever the reason, the girl collapsed in a dead faint.

The Spine took a few steps towards the girl and looked down at her curiously. The first thing almost anyone else would have said is that she was dressed strangely. But this robot had seen over a century and attended a variety of conventions, not to mention having connections in other worlds, so the fact that this girl was wearing something between a lab coat and a dressing gown did not seem at all odd to him. What he did find surprising was a person who was shocked at the sight of a robot. Every now and then a child would seem a little uneasy in their presence, but for a woman to actually faint? Now there was a reaction he hadn't seen in decades.

"Hey, Rabbit, Hatchworth," he called over his shoulder, "Wake up."

The resulting whirring, hissing, and clanking told The Spine that the other two had listened. They had finished the show, met the fans, and packed the gear. The robots decided to power down and take a little rest while the humans went to get a bite to eat, and then it was back home to Walter Manor.

"Hey, w-what's the matter with her?" Rabbit asked curiously.

"I have no idea," The Spine shook his head, "She was just wandering around the stage, and when I asked if there was anything I could help her with, she keeled over like that."

"The Spine, did she suffer a system failure?" Hatchworth chimed in, "Should we start her reset sequence?"

"You can't reset a human, Hatchworth," The Spine explained, "She just fainted. She'll wake up soon. Rabbit, would you get out of her face? If the sight of me made her faint, you'll probably give her a heart attack."

The copper bot had been inching closer and closer to the unconscious girl and was leaning down with his face centimeters from hers. The moment The Spine addressed him, Rabbit jumped back, standing perfectly straight and still as if he had never moved.

"It looks like she's waking up," said The Spine, "You two… try not to be frightening."

Hatchworth and Rabbit dodged behind The Spine and peered around him at the girl. The silver robot sighed. The girl sat up, rubbing her forehead. She flinched as she caught sight of the three robots. The Spine smiled and held up his hands.

"Hey, don't be scared, we aren't going to hurt you," he said gently, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, I think," the girl answered, getting to her feet.

"We should probably introduce ourselves," The Spine began.

Unable to contain himself any longer, Rabbit sprang forward and grabbed the girl's hand, shaking it vigorously.

"Hi! M-my name is Rabbit!" the copper robot grinned.

The Spine cringed inwardly. He was certain Rabbit thought he was giving a friendly smile. In reality, the effect was a little… creepy.

"Um, hi," the girl replied.

"And my name is Hatchworth," the bespectacled automaton volunteered, "You can call me Hatchy, if you like."

"Hello," the girl smiled a little.

"I'm called The Spine," the silver robot said, touching the brim of his hat, "And who might you be?"

"I think my name is Cora," the girl answered hesitantly.

"You think?" said Rabbit, "D-d-don't you know?"

"Everything is very hazy," Cora's brow furrowed.

"Well, is there anything at all you can remember?" asked The Spine, "Like, where you're from, for instance."

"There was a room, and a construction site. Or maybe it was a ruin?"

"Can I guess too, Spine?" Hatchworth asked.

"It isn't a guessing game, Hatchworth. Anyway, it's nice to meet you, Cora. Don't worry, we'll do what we can to help you figure out who you are and where you're supposed to be," The Spine said, although he really wasn't sure how they could help except possibly to take her to the nearest police station.

"I think we may be able to help with that."

They all turned to see who had spoken. The robots froze, their long-disused tactical programming slowly coming back online. There stood two men wearing black suits and green ties and carrying small strange-looking guns. Becile agents. Each robot knew the others were thinking much the same thing. They had tried never to use force after they left military service and they did not want to have to now. But Becile agents were dangerous, and it was serious business for a pair of them to show up without warning.

"What do you want?" The Spine asked.

"You can stand down, Tin Man," one of the agents sneered, "We're not here for you. Just hand over the girl and we'll be on our way."

"You know, I d-d-don't think that's g-going to happen," said Rabbit, his voice uncharacteristically serious.

The second agent, the one who had been restlessly toying with his gun, spoke up.

"Ok, how about this?" he said, "Hand over the girl, or I shoot the one with the mustache."

He raised his gun, and several things happened almost simultaneously. The Spine said, "Wait just a minute-"; Cora took a step forward and said, "No, don't!"; the first agent shouted, "Stop, you fool!"; and the second agent fired. The bullet struck Cora squarely in the chest, knocking her back into Hatchworth's arms. The Spine and Rabbit leapt forward. They quickly disarmed the agents, crushing their guns as easily as if they were tin cans.

"Get out," The Spine ordered.

The agents did not need to be told twice. The Spine and Rabbit turned back to Hatchworth, who was kneeling on the stage with Cora in his arms. The Spine dropped to her side to examine the wound, except… there was no wound. There was a small tear in her clothes where the bullet had hit, and that was all.

"Spine, the bullet bounced off," said Rabbit, holding up a small piece of metal, "L-l-look, it's all crushed."

"I didn't know that humans are bullet-proof," said Hatchworth.

"They aren't," The Spine, "Cora, can you hear me?"

"Ow…" Cora groaned through clenched teeth.

"Are you hurt, Cora?" Hatchworth asked.

"It feels like I've been kicked by a horse, but I think I'm alright. Thank you, Hatchy," Cora said as he helped her to stand, "Who were those people?"

"A b-better question is, how are you still alive?" asked Rabbit.

"Hey guys, what's going on?"

In walked three young men in black jumpsuits accompanied by a pretty girl with white skin, blue lips, and black hair in ponytails. Michael Reed, who had spoken, looked at the robots and the strange girl curiously.

"Becile agents were here," The Spine said.

The humans' expressions turned instantly grave.

"Beciles. Those are the bad guys, right?" asked Matt.

"Right," Steve answered as he picked up the crushed remains of the agents' guns.

"This is Cora," The Spine motioned to her, "Matt, Paige, will you and Hatchworth please take her to the bus? She's coming with us."

"Of course. Come on, Cora," Paige took Cora's hand and led her out.

"Spine, who is she and why are we bringing her with us?" Steve asked as soon as they were gone.

"We don't know," said The Spine.

"And n-neither does she," Rabbit added.

"But the Becile agents were after her," the silver robot continued, "and that's enough for me. The safest place for her is with us. We can figure out what's going on when we get back home."

**(Note: Greetings fan-bots, Cavalcadians, and various Kazoolanders! I'm new to the fanmily and it's been years since I've written any fanfiction, so any critiques/opinions of yours would be perfectly lovely. I'm doing my level best not to fly in the face of the established universe, so if you notice anything that seems wildly against canon please let me know and I'll either fix it or explain myself. Characters and ideas related to Steam Powered Giraffe are property of themselves.)**


	2. The Stranger Gets Stranger

**2. The Stranger Gets Stranger**

"Everybody set? Then let's get out of here."

And with that, Steve pulled out into traffic and the bus full of robots, humans, instruments, and equipment headed for home. In talking to Cora, Paige and Matt concluded that while she had no memories of her own life, she knew what things were (like television and ice cream and math) and she had a vague recollection of history that felt more like déjà vu than anything to her.

"So… you three really are robots?" Cora asked at length.

"We certainly are," The Spine answered, "Musical, steam powered automatons, to be exact."

"Will wonders never cease," the girl smiled, "To think that I should live to see actual automatons."

The slightly old-fashioned phrases were spoken with the authority of one accustomed to using them.

"We were b-built in 1896," Rabbit added.

"Then, what year is it now?" asked Cora.

"It's 2013," said Paige.

"Hmm…" Cora's brow furrowed once more.

"I don't want to be nosy," said Michael, "But what made you go into the theater? I mean, if you don't remember where you came from or where you were going."

"I thought I heard something," Cora answered, "Something familiar."

"Do you mean our music?" asked Hatchworth, "Did you hear our concert?"

"No, it wasn't a sound… I suppose that doesn't make any sense, does it?"

"You know, last year I would've said that was kinda strange," said Matt, "But now I'm in a band with talking robots, and you're hearing things that aren't sounds, and I'm just surprised that I'm not surprised."

Cora smiled apologetically. "I do want to thank you all for what you're doing. It's incredibly kind, considering that I'm a stranger to you."

"Don't mention it," said The Spine, "The Beciles are bad news, always have been. And like they say: the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"And you did save Hatchy here," said Rabbit, "That was pretty brave."

"Don't mistake my actions for heroics," Cora held up her hands, "It wasn't my intention to take a bullet for anyone. I'm not so brave as all that. I only wanted to stop that horrible man before someone got shot, and giving myself up seemed like the most practical way to diffuse the situation."

"Whatever your reasons, we do appreciate it," said The Spine.

"Yes, thank you very much, Cora," Hatchworth added, "Would you like a sandwich?"

"Uh, sure."

Cora's expression only grew more mystified as Hatchworth opened his jacket to reveal what looked like the door of a cast-iron stove, reached inside it, and then was suddenly holding a sandwich on a plate. Paige took the plate from him and grabbed half the sandwich, handing the rest to Cora.

"Go on, try it," Paige smiled, "We still don't really know where all these sandwiches come from, but they're always delicious."

Cora hesitantly took the questionable-looking sandwich. The bread was spring green, and it contained some sort of suspicious blue paste and a purple something that appeared to be meat. Cora glanced back at Paige, who was happily munching on her second bite.

"I think it's some sort of poultry," her voice was muffled by sandwich.

With a resigned sigh, Cora took a bite. Her eyebrows arched in surprise. It was actually pretty good. Hatchworth had produced more bizarre sandwiches by this point, and they were passed around to the humans. The conversation turned to the concert, how the songs had sounded, the charming gifts they'd received from fans.

Eventually, tired from their hard work, all the humans save for Steve fell asleep. Hatchworth stared out the window, humming to himself. He was probably composing a new song. Rabbit had found a stray piece of string on the floor and appeared to be attempting a cat's cradle. Someone would have to untie his fingers later. The Spine watched Cora out of the corner of his eye. She had been listening intently to their conversation as though waiting to hear something that would jog her memory. Now she took a deep breath and pressed one hand to her chest, wincing.

"Are you doing alright there, Cora?" The Spine asked quietly.

"Yes, of course," came her quick reply.

"Really? Because it kinda looked like you were clutching your heart in pain just now."

"Well, I'm sure I'll be alright, for whatever reason," she gave an unconvincing smile.

There was a moment's silence. Then Cora spoke again.

"I wanted to thank you personally for offering to help me even when you were uncertain how to do so. Your compassion was very touching, and much appreciated."

"I'm a robot," The Spine laughed, "I only "feel" what I'm programmed to. But you're welcome all the same."

"You know that isn't true," said Cora seriously, "It hasn't been true for decades."

The Spine stared at Cora, nearly unable to believe he had heard her correctly.

"Yes, I know that," he said slowly, "But how do you know it?"

Now it was Cora's turn to look confused.

"But you must've said, before… didn't you?"

"I didn't," The Spine paused for a moment before deciding to let the subject drop, "Why don't you try to get some sleep? Someone will wake you up if we make a stop."

Cora nodded, curling up in her seat and closing her eyes. The silver robot continued to stare at her. It was true, he thought. Over the past few decades, he and the other robots had slowly begun to realize that, in addition to the consciousness and personalities they inexplicably possessed, they were starting to feel genuine emotions. They were basic and childlike at first (Hatchworth was still in that phase) but they gradually became deeper and more complex. They kept it quiet, of course. No one was sure how the general public would react to the idea of emotional robots. So how could this girl know about it?

xXx

"Hey, wake up Cora!"

Cora sat up with a start, causing Paige to jump back a little.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," said Paige.

"Oh no, it isn't your fault," Cora apologized, "I was just having the strangest dream."

"Oh? What was it? Maybe it's something you remembered."

"It's getting all jumbled up as I try to remember it now. But I was walking through a big, empty house with a tall man. Then we were in something like a coal cellar, and there was this bright thing in the corner, and somehow I knew it was dangerous. So I told the tall man and an older man that was suddenly with him to run. The tall man didn't want to but the older man dragged him away. And then for a long time I couldn't open my eyes, but I could hear a sound like a clock ticking. Then I was back in the house, and the men were asking me questions that I couldn't answer. That made the tall man look sad. He handed me a glass full of something that seemed to be glowing blue and told me to drink it. After I did, I noticed that my hands felt strange. I looked at them and saw that they were covered in some sort of blue crystalline stuff, and it was spreading up my arms. And that's when Paige woke me up… why are you all looking at me like that?"

"Cora, do you know what blue matter is?" Paige asked earnestly.

"I'm afraid I don't," Cora shook her head, "Should I?"

"I don't know," said Steve, "But it sure sounded like that's what you were describing."

"You get more enigmatic by the minute," The Spine remarked, "Anyway, we've stopped at a gas station, so if you like you can get out and stretch your legs or get something to drink. And everybody keep an eye on Rabbit in case he starts flirting with a cappuccino dispenser again. He says they're so uppity but it never stops him from trying, and he always makes a scene."

Cora followed the others into the little convenience store. Paige had effectively distracted Rabbit by getting him to watch the roller dogs, something the copper robot seemed to find enthralling. Cora wandered up and down the aisles, an expression of vague frustration on her face as she glanced over the shelves full of things that were simultaneously familiar and not.

"Hey Cora, do you need something to drink? I can get it for you," Matt offered with a smile.

"Oh, I'm fine, thank you," said Cora, "But it's sweet of you to offer."

"Come on, everybody," Steve called, "We're burning daylight. Let's go, Rabbit."

Steve dragged the slightly dazed robot out the door. Cora followed the rest of the group as they headed back to the bus.

"We've got about an hour left," The Spine said over his shoulder, "I should tell you, Cora, the manor is a pretty strange place, so I'm just giving you fair warning that you'll be seeing – Cora? What's the matter?"

"Spine," said Hatchworth worriedly, "I don't think a human's face is supposed to turn grey."

Cora had stopped abruptly, her face blank and sickly pale. She cried out suddenly and collapsed. Michael, who was closest, started forward and caught her.

"What's wrong?" he asked as the others ran over, "Come on, talk to me, Cora."

"I don't know what's come over me," she answered faintly, "Something feels wrong inside. I'm sorry, I don't think I can stand anymore."

"Here, put your arms around my neck. I've got you."

Michael lifted Cora and carried her to the bus. Matt turned to The Spine. The tall silver robot had always seemed to be the authority to defer to in an emergency.

"Should we get her to a hospital or something?" the drummer asked.

"I don't think so," said The Spine, "I doubt a hospital would know how to deal with a bullet-proof girl. Steve, I'm not suggesting that you break the law, but… get us home quickly."

"You've got it," Steve nodded.


	3. The Truth About Cora

**3. The Truth About Cora**

"Spine, you know I trust your judgment, but you have to realize that it may be dangerous bringing her here," said Peter Walter VI as he flicked on the lights of the second floor lab.

"I understand that, and I am sorry, but what other choice did I have?" The Spine replied.

He carried the now unconscious Cora, and was closely followed by a concerned and curious Hatchworth and Rabbit. The silver robot set the girl down on the table in the center of the room. That last stretch of road had been tense and quiet. Michael had continued to hold Cora in an effort to be a comforting presence during her occasional spasms of pain. There was a moment of panic when they realized that she had passed out, but as her condition didn't seem to worsen, they could only hope for the best.

"Becile agents were trying to take her," The Spine continued, "and for that reason alone I think we owe her our protection, not to mention-"

"Wait," Peter interrupted, staring hard at the girl's face, "I… I've seen her before."

"W-what do you mean?" asked Rabbit.

Peter turned around and glanced over the wall. It was covered with pictures of the various Walters and their staff members. He pointed to one of the oldest black-and-white photographs.

"There," he said.

"How is that possible?" The Spine asked after a pause.

Peter had gone to a large bookshelf in the corner and was sifting through old volumes filled with the notes of the first Colonel Walter's research. He pulled out one marked "1918" and turned back to the robots.

"It has to be in here somewhere," he said, "I'm sure I remember reading – Ah! Here it is. Listen…"

vVv

_Walter Manor, California 1918_

"I'm glad you could stop by, old friend," said Colonel Walter.

The tall retired soldier handed a glass of brandy to his companion. Peter Walter the first was not an old man, but his hair had become quite grey in recent years, and there was a sort of thin-ness about him in spite of his broad-shouldered stature. Still, the colonel smiled warmly at the older gentleman he was now entertaining in his sitting room.

"We've seen entirely too little of each other lately, Walter," Dr. Fritz Caldwell returned, "But I suppose we've both been busy."

"Yes, I'd heard you've been making tremendous progress on that project of yours. What was it, again?"

"Cryopreservation," Caldwell began, for Cavalcadians need little urging to speak about their projects, "The process of putting a human being, or any life-form for that matter, into a sort of stasis. I believe it has the potential to save countless lives if used in battalion aid stations or for disaster relief. Of course, I still have a few problems to work out."

He probably would have gone on for hours if the door had not opened to admit a dark-haired young woman in her early twenties.

"I beg your pardon, sir," she said to Colonel Walter, "My work in the lab took longer than I expected."

"It's quite alright," said the colonel, "Dr. Caldwell, allow me to introduce my assistant, Miss Verity Edgeworth."

"How do you do, sir," Verity smiled, shaking the doctor's hand.

Caldwell wondered at Colonel Walter's knack from finding lady scientists as he surveyed the young woman before him. Miss Edgeworth stood at the taller end of average height. She had a small mouth and her large, dark eyes were set a little close to her nose. Her clothing was a few years out of fashion, but the effect was rather handsome. The long white skirt was of the style known as "war crinoline", fuller and much more practical if one wanted to take steps longer than two inches, and over it she wore a smartly tailored blue jacket.

"I met Miss Edgeworth a few years ago when I was doing some work at the university," Colonel Walter explained, "She was assigned to me as a lab assistant, and we worked so well together that I requested her assistance ever since. What with my son and the automatons going off to war last year, I asked her to come live here for a while to help me with my research. Incidentally, her own field of study overlaps with mine. She's doing work on polydimensional physics: creating and controlling dimensional portals, the practical applications of them, and so on."

"Most impressive," said Caldwell, "Perhaps Miss Edgeworth will join us in the Cavalcadium one day."

"It would be a great honor," said Verity.

"I have no doubt that she will," the colonel clapped her on the shoulder.

"You're too kind, sir," the girl smiled.

"Speaking of polydimensional physics," Colonel Walter continued, "That's where you come in, Caldwell. We've been working on a device that would, if strategically placed at a weak point in the dimensional walls, be able to open another rift that can be used as a portal between worlds. And, we have located just such a weak point."

"I still don't see what that has to do with me," said Caldwell.

"It's in the basement of your hospital, old fellow," the colonel laughed, "Now I assure you, the device is perfectly safe, and the worst that could happen is that nothing at all happens. What do you say, Caldwell? Would you be so good as to let us try it out?"

"I could never turn you down, Walter, old boy," the doctor shook his head with a smile, "Provided I am allowed to oversee this experiment of yours."

"I knew you wouldn't let me down," said the colonel, giving the doctor a hearty handshake.

A week later, Dr. Caldwell watched as Colonel Walter and Verity set up a strange-looking contraption in the basement of his hospital in Bakersfield.

"And you're quite sure this thing is safe?" Caldwell asked for what must have been the tenth time.

"Perfectly sure," the colonel answered, "All we have to do is turn it on, and – there!"

The device began to hum and glow with a soft blue light. The three stood back and watched it expectantly for a few moments.

"It doesn't seem to be doing anything," Caldwell said at length.

"No, it doesn't," Colonel Walter frowned, "I suppose that answers that question, more's the pity. Shut it off, please, Verity."

As she moved towards the device, it suddenly sparked and flickered. The humming grew louder and was accompanied by a strange rattling sound. Colonel Walter ran forward.

"I don't understand! Somebody must have tampered with it," he exclaimed.

He opened a small panel on the top of the mechanism, and sickly green glow poured from it. The colonel slammed his fist against the wall in anger.

"Beciles again!" he shouted, "If I don't find a way to stop it, this thing will cause a dimensional fluctuation that will obliterate the entire county. Do they have any idea what they've done?"

"I think they know exactly what," said Verity solemnly, "You will either be killed, or discredited, or both."

She took off her jacket and, handing it to the colonel, rolled up her sleeves and began to work on the device.

"If I can disable enough components," she continued, "I should be able to contain the reaction to a very small explosion that will only affect this room. You and the doctor must leave now, sir."

"Don't be foolish, Verity!" said the colonel, "If you stay in here, you'll be killed. I'll be the one to stay."

"Would you have me explain to your son how I let his father die?" Verity's expression was suddenly fierce, "Don't mistake my actions for heroics. Only you or I can disable the device, and you have much more at stake. I am the practical choice. Dr. Caldwell, please get him out of here!"

"Yes, Miss Edgeworth," the doctor nodded, his voice strained as he grabbed the colonel's arms, "Come on, Walter, we must leave."

Colonel Walter struggled desperately as Caldwell dragged him from the room.

"Please, Verity, don't do this!" he cried.

"Goodbye, sir," said Verity.

The colonel looked one last time into her eyes, now full of undisguised distress, before the door slammed shut between them. He continued to struggle in vain, but the old doctor was stronger than he looked. A few moments passed. Suddenly, the building shook as the device exploded. Then there was silence. Colonel Walter was still, and the doctor's grip on his arms loosened.

"No…" he said faintly.

"Peter, I'm so sorry," Caldwell began.

The colonel broke away and threw open the door. He dashed inside the room, and then stopped dead in his tracks. The doctor followed him.

"Dear God!" the colonel said, his voice breaking.

He dropped to his knees beside Verity's motionless form. Dr. Caldwell was a medical man. He could see that the majority of the shrapnel was lodged in the girl's chest. He tried to look at the situation objectively, and to bring himself to tell the colonel that she was as good as dead.

"Caldwell!" Colonel Walter cried suddenly, turning to look up at the doctor, "Your cryopreservation system, is it functioning? Is it here?"

"Yes, it is," answered the doctor confusedly, "But Walter, her injuries are too severe, there's nothing I can-"

"No! It isn't too late. You've heard of the new studies in cybernetics? I've been working on some myself, it's practically complete. She saved my life, now you must help me save hers. Please, Fritz! We must hurry!"

Over the next month, Colonel Walter and Dr. Caldwell worked feverishly. They spent all their waking hours assessing the injuries and building replacement parts to repair the terrible damage. Finally, one summer evening, their work was done. Verity was out of danger, and would soon awaken. Colonel Walter sat at her bedside, with Dr. Caldwell standing nearby, as she opened her eyes.

"Verity," the colonel said eagerly, "Can you hear me?"

"Yes," she answered, looking at him curiously, "But, who are you?"

"You-" his voice faltered, he could feel his heart drop suddenly, "You don't know me?"

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't."

"Would you excuse us, miss?" Dr. Caldwell interrupted.

He drew Colonel Walter aside. The colonel's face was blank and his voice was distraught.

"I don't understand, Caldwell," he said, "What's happened?"

"Sometimes, in the case of a particularly traumatic physical injury," Caldwell struggled for words, "It results in amnesia in the patient. Permanent amnesia, in some cases. And considering all she's been through. Walter, I'm sorry."

"What do we do?"

The doctor went to the table by the window, and poured a cup of tea from the steaming teapot. He dropped a small pill into it.

"Sleeping medicine," he said in a low voice. He handed the cup to Colonel Walter and motioned for him to give it to Verity.

The colonel forced himself to smile as he walked back to her.

"Here, drink this. It'll make you feel better."

"Thank you, sir," Verity smiled back.

Colonel Walter took the empty cup and returned it to the table by the window, watching in silence as Verity's eyes closed once more. He sat down on the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands.

"I've failed," he said softly, "I saved her life, but I still lost her."

"We'll put her back into cryopreservation for the time being," said Caldwell, placing a hand on the colonel's shoulder, "And I promise you, Walter, we will find a way to fix this."

vVv

"…_and so Verity sleeps on in the basement of Caldwell's hospital, in Cryopreservation Operational Research Room A,_" Peter read, "_until such time as I can restore her memories. I cannot shake the feeling that, in my grief and desperation, I have done something very rash. _That's all there is. The colonel found himself under further sabotage by the Beciles, and then the war ended, and for a while he didn't have time to work on helping Verity Edgeworth. And then disaster struck. A wildfire burned Caldwell's hospital to the ground, and the doctor was killed ensuring all the patients and staff made it to safety. The site was covered by a mudslide two weeks later. The colonel must have assumed that Verity was lost to him forever. Eventually the city grew over the ground where the hospital once stood. In fact, it wasn't too far away from the theater where your concert was."

"That earthquake in Bakersfield a few days ago," said Rabbit, "It m-must've uncovered the site."

"And perhaps caused the cryopreservation system to fail, which is why she woke up," Peter concluded.

They looked from the face of the girl on the table to the face of the girl in the picture, standing beside Colonel Walter. There was the same small mouth, and the same close-set eyes.

"I have no doubts," said Peter, "Your Cora is really Verity Edgeworth."

Peter returned the book to its shelf and looked at the shelf full of boxes next to it. Each box was labeled with the name of a robot, and contained various spare parts. Peter crouched down, reaching to the very back of the bottom shelf. He pulled out a box labeled "V.E." which was hurriedly placed on the workbench and opened. This box contained a set of small and delicate-looking tools, a smaller box of spare parts, a notebook, and folded underneath them was a blue jacket. Taped the to the top of the box were a set of complicated diagrams and a tiny key. Peter studied the papers quickly and took the key, going back to Cora.

"If I'm reading these correctly, there should be an access panel just underneath her collarbone… this brass plate here. Right. And this key must open it."

There was a faint click as he turned the key. The panel split and opened outward, a soft blue glow emitting from within. The robots moved closer, and leaned in to see what had rendered Peter speechless. Beneath the panel was a small chamber, also made of brass, and inside that was a ticking clockwork heart.

"Incredible!" Peter exclaimed quietly, "Blue matter powered, clockwork cybernetics! The concentrated force of that bullet must have damaged it. You can see here and here parts have come loose, and here something fell off completely. It's ticking out of sync. I should be able to repair it, but I'll have to build her a sturdier one later. I could do this more efficiently if I had a mechanic to decipher these schematics. Would you please send Mr. Reed up here, and tell him I need his help? And send Paige, too. I'll need someone to keep an eye on the blue matter."

Peter had already started to work as he spoke, and was now completely engrossed. The Spine ushered Rabbit and Hatchworth from the room. He sent Rabbit to get Paige, and set off to find Michael himself.


	4. Adjustments

**4. Adjustments**

"Do you have a minute, Peter?" asked The Spine, leaning through the doorway of the study.

"Of course, come in," said Peter, "And please sit down."

Peter VI was lounging on the sofa, surrounded by stacks of volumes detailing Peter I's work. He spoke without looking away from the book in his hands. The Spine settled himself in a nearby chair and waiting for Peter to look up.

"I was just looking for some more answers about our guest," he said finally, laying the book down in his lap, "I assume that's what you wanted to talk about?"

"Yes, it is. Cora made a comment on the way over here about how we've been starting to have feelings. It wasn't just a guess or intuition. She knew it with absolute certainty. And then there was that whole thing about hearing something familiar that led her to us. How do you explain that?"

"Well… it appears that the colonel destroyed all of his notes on the subject of cybernetics, aside from the schematics of Verity's case, but from those I think I can speculate on that. You know how the blue matter in your circuitry allows you to interface with any sort of technology? Apparently, it can also be used to interface mechanical parts with biological systems."

"Come again?" The Spines raised his eyebrows in astonishment.

"There is more blue matter in Verity than just the little that powers her heart. Large portions of her ribcage had to be repaired and, to ensure that the metal replacements would not be rejected, blue matter was used in the attachments. However, as the substance is a living crystal, I believe that it went on to make more changes as she slept, perhaps even altering her mind to be able to receive wireless internet signals."

"That would explain why she sort of seems to know about modern society."

"And it would explain how she picked up your signals, and it led her to you."

"You mean she's reading our minds without know that she's doing it?"

"Not quite. I don't think she could communicate with you the way all of you communicate with each other. From what you've said, it sounds less like mind-reading and more like she can just sense things about you. Empathically, you could say."

The Spine sat in silence a moment to process this. He wasn't particularly thrilled that the robots he'd spent his entire life with could be voices in his head if he let them. The idea of a stranger being able to do the same was… unsettling. Just thinking about it made him uncomfortable.

"Oh, there was something else I thought of," he said, "Do you think a few of us should go back to Bakersfield and see if we can recover that cryopreservation system before the Beciles get their hands on it?"

"No, I'm sure those brown suits have cleaned all that up by now," Peter waved a hand dismissively, "And anyway, that technology is old news. Dr. Caldwell never did get it to work properly."

"What do you mean?" The Spine tilted his head curiously.

"Well, while the life support systems did prevent a person from dying of life-threatening injuries (and that part has been used in modern medical technology) tests showed that the subjects continued to age. To this day, no one is sure how Caldwell managed to make such a bizarrely specific error."

"Continued to age? But if Cora really is Verity Edgeworth…"

"Then you can see why the colonel destroyed his research. I can conclude with reasonable certainty that the application of blue matter cybernetics has essentially stopped her aging. This technology could be very dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands. That is why the Beciles are after her, Spine, and why it is imperative that we see to it that they don't get her."

"Have you told her?" The Spine asked after another pause.

"Not yet. She's still asleep," Peter stood up and walked over to his desk, picking up the old photograph from the lab, "A man in a mask is going to tell a girl with amnesia that she is an immortal cyborg. What a story she woke up in!"

xXx

A few hours later, The Spine stopped Peter as he hurried down the hallway.

"How did she take the news?" the silver robot asked.

"I'm not sure," Peter answered distractedly, "She didn't say much, so I decided I should leave her."

"What room is she in?"

"The other blue room. I'm terribly sorry, can't stay and chat, I've got a new clockwork heart to build."

With that, Peter rushed off in the direction of the lab. The Spine let him go. When Peter latched onto a new project, it was to the exclusion of all else. The Spine was fairly certain he wouldn't see the inventor again until it was finished. The other blue room, was it? Blue was a common color for bedrooms at the Walter Manor. It did get a little confusing, especially once you tried to direct someone to the "other other other other other blue room". But the other blue room was on the second story, and was one of the few rooms with a door, so it was easy to remember.

"Cora?" called The Spine, knocking on the door, "Can I come in?"

There was no answer, but he opened the door anyway. Apparently Peter had left the old photograph sitting on the table. Cora stood looking out the window. The Spine thought she looked better than she had when he saw her last, but she was blank and pale in a different sort of way now. The dark patches under her eyes made her face look almost gaunt. She did not react to the sudden company, and The Spine realized that he had no idea what to say.

"I heard you talked to Peter," he began.

"I don't like him," Cora's tone was dull and quiet, "He kept calling me Verity."

"How are you doing?"

"It turns out I'm someone I can't remember who should have died almost a hundred years ago, but didn't because someone decided to make her a deathless machine."

"I realize this is a lot to accept all at once, and I can see you're taking it to heart-"

"What heart?" Cora shouted suddenly, grabbing the photograph and whirling to face him, "And what made this man think he had the right to decide that for anyone? I hate him!"

She flung the photograph at the wall, the glass shattering with a violent crash. The Spine stared at her for a moment without speaking.

"I see," he said finally.

There was another moment of silence. Cora turned back to the window. When she spoke again, her voice shook slightly.

"I'm sorry," she said, "That was a very unfair thing for me to say."

"Yes, it was."

Cora did not reply. The Spine picked up the photograph, carefully gathering the shards of glass. He left the room.

Down in one of the workshops, Matt was working on oiling the hinges of Hatchworth's hatch, which had been squeaking as of late. He looked up as The Spine entered and went over to the trash can. The silver robot gently extracted the photograph from the wrecked frame, throwing the glass away.

"What happened?" Matt asked.

"Cora threw it at the wall," sighed The Spine.

"That doesn't sound like her."

"Why would she break a picture, The Spine?" Hatchworth asked, "Did something make her angry?"

The Spine shrugged, brushing some dust from the photograph and looking at it closely to see if it had been scratched.

"It's because she's scared, Hatchy," Matt answered.

"I don't understand," said the bronze robot.

"Sometimes when a person is afraid of something and they don't want to be scared, they think it's easier to just get angry."

"Oh. Does that help?"

"No, not really."

This was a lot to mull over, the silver robot thought as he walked back out of the room, especially since he probably wouldn't get much help from Hatchworth and Rabbit. Lost in thought, he nearly ran into that very automaton in the hallway.

"Hey Spine!" said Rabbit, "Look what I made!"

His arms were full of what appeared to be a tangled up mess of metal, wood, and some suspicious pink goo. The Spine raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's art!" the copper robot declared proudly.

"It certainly is… something."

"Why are you being such a spine in the mud?" Rabbit pouted, "M-maybe I'll go show Cora."

"She probably already knows," The Spine muttered.

"Oh, is that what you're so bothered about? What's the big deal? She's almost a robot, too, y'know."

"It's just _weird_. It's like Heath Barkley showing up out of nowhere."

"That's from a western, isn't it," Rabbit asked flatly.

"What's wrong with westerns?" demanded The Spine.

"You're boring today. I'm gonna go show Paige my art. I b-bet she'll appreciate it."

"I'm sure she'll be thrilled," The Spine called after him, then added under his breath, "that you made another mess for her to clean up."

For the rest of that day, and for the whole day afterward, Cora did not leave her room. Food was left for her at mealtimes, which she did not touch. If asked direct questions, her answers were monosyllabic. The Spine looked in on her that evening. She was curled up on the bed with her eyes closed, but he could tell she was only feigning sleep. He closed the door and left her without a word.

The next afternoon, the human members of the band had gathered in the first floor sitting room. The Walter girls were still finishing up some maintenance on the robots, so the boys sat around to wait.

"So, nobody's heard anything from Cora?" Steve asked.

"Nope," said Michael, not looking up from tuning his guitar.

"When do you think she's going to snap out of it?" said Matt, "I mean, I don't know if I'd take the news she got any better than she did, but she can't stay up there forever."

"It better be soon," said Steve, "I don't know what they'll do with her if she doesn't. She wouldn't last a day on her own, not with the Beciles looking for her."

Michael stood up suddenly and walked towards the door, taking his guitar with him.

"Where are you going?" asked Matt.

"Out back," said Michael, "There's something I want to work on."

xXx

In the silence of the other blue room, Cora noticed a sound coming from the garden beneath her open window. It took her a moment to recognize it as the humming resonance of someone strumming a guitar. She went to the window to look. Michael sat on a bench in the garden. He strummed a few chords, stopped to tune a string or two, then strummed some more. In a little while, he began to sing:

"_Here I go again,  
I'm breaking up,  
I'm shutting down now.  
Inside, outside, decommission -  
Wonder if it's painful.  
Reading love and writing love,  
Technically the same.  
I am a living thing.  
I am not a human being,  
But I'm alive, I'm alive-"_

Without warning, one of the strings snapped, causing Michael to flinch and nearly drop the guitar. Cora laughed before she could stop herself. Michael looked up at her and smiled, waving.

"'What light from yonder window breaks?'" he called, "Hey, Cora!"

"Did you write that song?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's one of mine. It's called 'Prelude to a Dream'."

"It's very pretty."

"Thank you," Michael grinned, "Hey, we're eating supper after we finish practicing, probably sometime around six. You'll eat with us, won't you?"

"Well, I…" Cora hesitated.

"The dining room is on the first floor. You can't miss it. It's the only room on that floor that's painted bright purple. I'll see you then!"

Without giving her a chance to refuse, Michael waved once more and walked back inside. He passed The Spine leaning in the doorway. The silver robot had been watching the whole exchange.

"You did that on purpose," he said. There was the hint of a question in the statement.

"If you're talking about busting a string, then no, that wasn't part of the plan," said Michael, glancing ruefully at his guitar, "But I did think that a song might help a little. At least it couldn't hurt."

xXx

Cora set out for the dining room before 6:00. She hadn't seen any of the manor aside from her room, but it _felt_ huge, and she didn't want to get lost. She crept as quietly down the corridor as possible. This seemed like the sort of house where anything could jump out at you, and she was not anxious to draw any attention to herself. In the center of the hall was a giant, impractical spiral staircase.

As she reached the bottom of it, trying to decide which direction she should start off in to look for the purple room, she noticed music drifting down the hallway. Michael did say they were practicing. Curious to hear what this band of robots and humans sounded like, Cora followed the music to the door it spilled out from. She was careful not to be seen as she stood outside to listen. First came a jazzy piano intro, and then Rabbit began to sing:

"_Come with me,  
I'll show you how to be a metal man,  
When the gears are turning and the fires are burning…"_

Cora was amazed. This was so fantastically different from her vague, general notion of what a band would sound like. It was spectacular. If she thought she liked it at first, she knew she loved it as the rest joined in on harmonies:

"_Now the war is passed and over.  
We're left to sit and wonder –  
What is life, and what is real?  
And why do living things need feeling?"_

Cora listened in silent, rapt attention as the song ran on. Granted, she could not really remember ever hearing music to begin with, but she could not have imagined it could be like this. The way this song felt and how Michael's song had felt earlier was indescribable. Cora realized that, for the first time she could remember, she was happy. With a wild laugh from Rabbit, the song ended. Cora hurried away before anyone knew she had been eavesdropping.

She found the dining room quite easily. It was indeed an alarmingly bright shade of purple. Her nervousness was somewhat lessened by the friendly welcome the others gave when they arrived. When she asked if Mr. Walter would be joining them, she was very relieved to find the answer was no, he would not.

In addition to the people she already knew, Cora was introduced to two more pretty girls with the same complexion as Paige. She learned that Brianna, the one whose hair was worn in a bob, was assigned to look after The Spine in particular and that Carolina, the one whose hair had not yet changed to black with blue highlights, was new and had been hired to look after Hatchworth. When they had finished eating the humans headed off to their own homes, the Walter girls went to finish some work, Rabbit and Hatchworth disappeared to who knows where, and Cora hung back to talk with The Spine.

"Spine," she began, finding it difficult to look him in the eyes, "I wanted to apologize. You've been nothing but kind to me, and I shouldn't have taken my frustration out on you. And I don't hate him. Colonel Walter, that is. I understand if you're angry with me. He is your father, after all, and I'm sorry for the things I said."

"I'm not angry. I understand now, you were afraid. I had some help from a human figuring that out," he laughed a little at her questioning look, "And it's a lot for us to take in, too. Well, maybe just for me. The other two tend not to question things like I do. You're a part of this… family that we didn't know existed, and from a part of my father's life I didn't even know about. But we'll figure it all out, because you're one of us now. Alright?"

He held out a cold silver hand, and Cora shook it warmly.

"Alright."


	5. Purpose, Promises, and Strange Vignettes

**5. Purpose, Promises, and Strange Vignettes**

"This is sort of a strange question, and I don't want to be a bother," Cora asked at breakfast the next morning, "But is there any way I could acquire some other clothes? I can't really go on wearing this old thing forever."

"Well," said The Spine, after thinking for a moment, "If you don't mind old-fashioned second-hand clothes, this house is full of them. Check out the closets and dressers in the unused rooms if you're curious."

"It'd be like a treasure hunt," said Paige, "That actually sounds kinda fun."

"It does," Carolina added, "I haven't had a chance to explore the manor yet."

"That settles it," Brianna slid back her chair and stood up, "Come on, you three! We're going on an adventure right now."

The four girls spent most of the day scouring the manor top to bottom for clothes and any other interesting forgotten items. There was a terrifying moment when they thought they had found an evil lich, but it turned out to be an ordinary zombie who just needed directions to the portal back to Horroria. In an otherwise empty trunk they discovered something that was either a doomsday device, or a Happy Meal toy from the 80's. They decided to leave it there and inform Mr. Walter as soon as possible. By the end of the adventure, Cora had amassed an extensive and eclectic wardrobe, and the other three presented her with a spare set of Walter girl official goggles and gloves.

"Because when you think about it," Brianna explained, "You might've been the first Walter girl, or at least one of the first."

Later that day, The Spine found Cora in the other blue room (which had been officially declared hers) organizing all her finds.

"Hello, Spine," she said without looking up.

"How did you-? No, let me guess. You sensed me coming, didn't you?"

"No," she grinned up at him, "I recognized the sound of your walk."

There was always a bit of a spring in The Spine's step and a bounce in his motions. Cora was starting to get used to the robots' movements, something she had found very off-putting at first. Hatchworth's seemed measured, Rabbit's were mercurial and glitchy, and The Spine's smoothly mechanical motion was almost mesmerizing.

"I thought I'd bring you a housewarming present," he handed her the blue jacket from the box in the lab, "I think it must have been yours a long time ago."

"Thank you," said Cora.

"Although I wouldn't use the left-hand pocket if I were you."

"Why not?" Cora asked, suddenly holding the jacket very gingerly.

"For a while, Colonel Walter was experimenting with using rifts for expanded storage. He called that model a pocket dimension. But they were discontinued following protests from inhabited dimensions that were accidentally being used. I'm pretty sure the dimension that pocket leads to belongs to a very cantankerous kraken."

"You're joking," Cora gave him an incredulous look.

"Am I? Why don't you put your hand in the pocket and see for sure?"

"No thanks…"

"That isn't the weirdest invention of his. At the start, he had a problem with employees getting so dumbfounded by the strange goings-on that they nearly went catatonic. That was when he invented the Suspenders of Disbelief, which prevented the wearer from questioning any randomness. They were a standard part of a Walter employee's uniform for a few decades."

Cora laughed. As The Spine was talking, she had put on the old blue jacket. She fastened the buttons almost reverently.

"It's funny," she said, looking down at it, "I half expected that I would start remembering things when I put this on."

"How are you doing on that front?" The Spine asked.

"Better, a little. I'm adjusting. I've decided to think of Verity as someone I was in a past life, and that's helping some. It's better to focus instead on finding out who I am now, not who I was then."

xXx

Cora stood on a ladder in the den, dusting off the high bookshelves. She looked down as Steve entered with Lil' Steve, who was carrying a tiny bow and quiver of arrows, riding on his shoulder. Steve was carrying a plush dragon.

"That's cute," Cora called down to him.

"It is, isn't it?" Steve smiled as he took down his own bow from where it hung on the wall and left in the direction of the back garden.

"Don't let its cuteness fool you!" Lil' Steve shouted back, "It's a ferocious monster. And I, Lil' Steve, will vanquish it!"

Cora stared at them for a moment. She asked Rabbit as he passed by: "Is he going to-?"

"T-turn that stuffed animal into a cute little pincushion?" Rabbit answered, "Yup."

"Huh."

Cora shook her head bemusedly and went back to dusting.

xXx

"And this lab is devoted to blue matter research," said Brianna.

"Amazing," said Cora, "I've never seen any of it up close."

"Come see," Paige motioned Cora over to the workbench where she was sorting samples.

Cora leaned in, her gaze dancing over the scattered blue glow. There was an unearthly beauty to the material. It radiated that not-quite-sound that Cora felt rather than heard. But this was different from how it sounded when it was filtered through machinery. It was clearer, colder, and harder. It brought to mind things Cora didn't know she was familiar with: snowfall, starlight, the ringing of crystal. Spellbound, she listened to it with all her might.

Without warning, the air before her shimmered and pulled apart. A breeze swept through the lab as a rift spread into existence. Some piece of paper blew out on the wind, plastering itself against Cora's shoulder.

"I'm going to get Mr. Walter!" Brianna said apprehensively before dashing out of the room.

Cora, recovering from her initial surprise, peered into the rift in fascination.

"What am I looking at?" she asked.

"I think it's New Pieland… Don't get too close!" Paige grabbed Cora's arm and pulled her back a little.

"Why?"

"Rifts can be very dangerous. I've never seen one just open up on its own like this."

At that moment Brianna returned with Peter in tow. He gave the rift a cursory glance, then pressed a few buttons on the remote control-like device he was carrying. As suddenly as it had appeared, the rift vanished. Cora, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious, held out the piece of paper to him.

"Here," she said, "This thing came through the rift. Oh, I guess it's an envelope."

"Indeed it is. Ah! A letter from The Jon," Peter placed it in his pocket to read later, "I think his aim is getting better. This one is only postmarked two weeks ago. Verity, may I speak to you for a moment?"

He led Cora out into the hallway. She followed reluctantly. She knew that her initial dislike of Peter was mostly just her shooting the messenger, but what with his mask and the fact that he wouldn't stop calling her Verity… She still wasn't overly fond of his company.

"Now, Verity," Peter said, "I would very much appreciate it if you would stay far away from the blue matter lab."

Cora was mortified.

"I'm so sorry!" she stammered, "I just wanted to see it. I didn't mean to open that rift or put anyone in danger-"

"What? What are you on about? No, that isn't what I meant at all," he cut her off with a wave of his hand, "I think it's absolutely fascinating that you were able to open a rift at will. I've never seen it done before. However, you don't seem to know how you did it, and I don't want to risk a repeat performance until you learn how to control it. No sense in accidentally sending someone to Hypexion V if you can help it, eh?"

Peter laughed and clapped Cora on the shoulder. She managed a short laugh and a confused smile.

"Uh, right," she said.

"I'd like you to familiarize yourself with our research on blue matter before you go near the stuff again. All the books are in one of the libraries here, ask anybody and they should be able to show you the way. Come talk to me when you've finished reading them, alright Verity?"

Peter strode off, leaving a speechless Cora standing in the hall and wondering what had just happened.

xXx

Brianna straightened up the Hall of Wires one afternoon. From the hallway, she heard a surprised yelp and the sound of things falling to the floor. She opened the door to see Cora staring in shock down the corridor, a pile of books at her feet.

"What's wrong?" Brianna asked.

"That's…" Cora gasped, "That's a _tail_!"

Sure enough, an enormous fluffy white tail had appeared at the end of the hallway, vanishing around the corner. Brianna laughed.

"Oh, that's just Marshmallow. I'll introduce you to him. Marshmallow! Here, kitty!"

The tail swished out of sight. A gigantic cat walked around the corner towards them, meowing loudly. It stopped in front of Brianna and bent its huge head down to her. She scratched it behind the ears obligingly. The cat began to purr.

"Marshmallow, this is Cora," said Brianna, "Say hello, Cora."

"Hello, Marshmallow," Cora said cautiously.

She held out her hand. Marshmallow sniffed it for a second, and then leaned down a little lower so Cora could pet his head.

"How about we get you some milk, huh Marshmallow?" said Brianna.

"No you don't, Brianna," said The Spine, sticking his head out of a doorway, "We're already way over budget with how many gallons of milk you gave him last month."

"Spoilsport," Brianna sulked.

xXx

Cora found Steve fixing some of his equipment in the workshop.

"Um, Steve?" she said, "Rabbit just ate a mic pack…"

Steve jumped to his feet.

"Was it out of the black box on the top shelf?" he demanded.

"No, it was just laying on the countertop."

"Oh, that one was broken anyway. That's ok."

He sat back down.

"…and then he grabbed the green box from the second shelf and ran off yelling something about making a bouquet for Paige," Cora finished.

Steve immediately stood up again.

"That's not ok. Excuse me, Cora," he said, then bolted from the workshop, shouting, "RABBIT, IF YOU TOUCH THOSE MICROPHONES, I SWEAR TO GOD-!"

xXx

On particularly slow days at the manor, someone would inevitably break out the chess board. Today it was Matt and Michael. Michael leaned back in his chair as Matt stared at the board in intense concentration.

"Come on, Time Lord, make a move," Michael said.

"Time Lord…" Cora said softly to herself, concentrating on the words. Since she had learned that she could access the internet with her mind, she'd been attempting to find answers on her own instead of having to the others about everything. She was still struggling a bit to get the hang of it.

"That's right," said Paige, "You haven't seen Doctor Who yet. Hmm… Ok, I declare a Doctor Who marathon, starting now!"

The Walter girls devoted the entire next week to watching the series between Doctors 9 and 12. By the end of that week, the robots got very bored without them, and Rabbit decided that they should demand that the girls come outside and make s'mores with them. They found the girls in Paige's room, in the middle of the most recent episode. Brianna let them in, but told them to be quiet.

"_The name I chose is the Doctor_," Eleven was saying, "_The name you choose is like… it's like a promise you make_."

"A promise…" Cora repeated quietly.

The episode ended, and the girls laughed at Cora's indignation over the twist and the cliffhanger. After some speculation over what would happen next, they followed the robots outside.

"You know," said Cora, "I can't stop thinking about what he said about the name you choose. I'm not Verity anymore, and I only thought Cora was my name mistakenly. I think… maybe I should choose a name for myself."

"Oh! Can I help?" Rabbit interrupted excitedly, "I'm g-good with names!"

"I want to help, too!" added Hatchworth.

"I know you want to help," The Spine laughed, "but you can't pick a name for her. She's not a goldfish."

That didn't stop the other two robots from volunteering an array of absurd options.

xXx

"What are you watching?" The Spine asked.

Cora looked up a little embarrassedly, setting the laptop aside.

"Recordings of your concerts," she said, "I've heard you all practice your songs, but I've never seen the whole act. I was just curious."

"Well, what do think?"

"It's hilarious. I'd love to see it in person. Although, I was wondering… I know the act is a routine and all, so do the things you say have any basis in reality, or are they all just for show?"

"A lot of it is for show, yes. We tend to exaggerate things like me not understanding jokes or Rabbit pulling crazy stunts-"

"Ok, Hatchy!" came Rabbit's voice from the back garden, "J-just watch me and do as I do!"

Cora and The Spine ran to the window just in time to see Rabbit flying through the air past them. He had attached two ropes to the eaves of the manor and had just swung from a large tree at one end of the garden to another at the other. Hatchworth was in the first tree holding onto the other rope.

"Then again," said The Spine "Some of it is absolutely real."

"Alright, now jump!" Rabbit called.

"Don't do it, Hatchworth!" The Spine ordered.

"D-don't listen to him, he's just being a b-buzzkill. Jump!"

Hatchworth jumped and went sailing past the window. However, he forgot to let go when he reached the other tree. Rabbit made a grab for him, but he missed and back Hatchworth swung.

"Let go at the tree!" called The Spine.

Hatchworth panicked, letting go right in the middle. The robot plummeted to the ground. Cora and The Spine stared down at him for a speechless second, then looked back at each other.

"I'll go get Carolina," Cora said.

"I'm gonna find one of the mechanics," The Spine added, and off they both ran.

xXx

Cora looked up to see who had spoken, but as she did so she realized that that wasn't quite right. It hadn't sounded so much like a voice as it had a static buzzing in her head like a distorted electric guitar. There was something musical about it. It felt tense and excited. Cora tried to focus on the sound and to make out what it meant.

Suddenly she was jarred out of her concentration by an uproar in the center of the house. There were screams and shouts and the sound of running feet. Cora dashed towards the main staircase to see what was going on. If she thought she'd been getting used to the strangeness of life at Walter Manor, she was now proved wrong.

Walter girls, human members of the band, and robots were scattered around the levels of the house near the staircase. Everyone carried various Nerf swords and guns. Here and there stood coolers filled with water balloons. Michael and Carolina had already apparently been hit, as they were both soaked. Rabbit, wearing a red bandana and tri-cornered hat and brandishing a sword, swung from the chandelier.

"Ahoy there, landlubber!" he yelled when he spotted Cora, "This battle be every man for himself!"

"What on earth is going on?" Cora exclaimed.

"It's a spontaneous battle royal!" called Brianna from her position behind a sofa, "If someone wants to make a challenge, they set out the water balloons. That way we all know to get our weapons and fight to the death! The last one standing is the victor."

"Who issues this challenge?" called Michael from a doorway.

"I do."

The Spine stepped out of the shadows across the stairs from Cora, with a sword resting against his shoulder. He looked down on everyone with a cool smirk.

"You, Spine?" Cora gasped.

Without warning, The Spine flung a water balloon in her direction. Cora was barely able to dodge it. She flattened herself against the banister, ready to run.

"Arm yourself, maiden!" Matt called from atop a cabinet, tossing one of his swords up to Cora.

Cora made a grab for it. She intended to catch the sword one-handed and spring into a defensive pose. In her attempt to look clever and impressive, she fumbled her catch and ended up hitting herself in the face with the sword. The others burst out laughing.

"I don't know why," said Steve, who was standing a little ways down the stairs, "But I thought you'd have better skills than that."

"You… shut up!" shouted Cora heatedly, unable to think of a good comeback in her embarrassment.

"Is that the best you've got?" Steve challenged.

Cora grinned and readied her sword.

"Have at thee, miscreant!" she cried, and charged down the stairs at him.

Now the battle began in earnest. Everybody attacked everybody else, but it didn't seem to matter how many times you were hit. The combatants only consented to "death" if they were on the receiving end of a particularly impressive attack. Brianna was the first one out, struck down by well-aimed firing from Michael. Cora soon realized that she had gotten in way over her head in challenging Steve. She fled at the earliest opportunity, killing Michael and stealing his gun. Carolina cornered Hatchworth and dispatched him with her sword. Steve killed both Matt and Carolina before being slain by an aerial assault from Paige. Rabbit caused the chandelier to swing ever more wildly, using the momentum to take out Paige. While attempting to shoot down Rabbit down, Cora met her demise when The Spine dumped a cooler-full of water balloons down on her. At last, only The Spine and Rabbit remained.

"Looks like it's just you and me, brother," said The Spine, walking slowly down the staircase.

"I'll teach ye to meddle with Captain Albert Alexander, me hearty," Rabbit answered, dropping down from the chandelier.

For a moment, neither of them moved. Then they leapt at each other in a battle of such speed and fury that none of the onlookers could quite follow it. Suddenly, The Spine dashed at the wall. He ran up it, flipped in midair, and brought his sword crashing down on Rabbit.

"'Oh, I die, Horatio!'" Rabbit cried, inexplicably swapping seafarer-speak for Shakespeare.

After a magnificently over-dramatic display of staggering about, gasping, and clutching at his chest, Rabbit fell to the ground. The others burst into wild applause and cheers for The Spine, and the victorious silver robot bowed to them all, grinning proudly.

xXx

The Spine leaned in the back doorway, looking out at the sky. Night was by far his favorite time. It had been the first thing he recognized as being beautiful. Also, it was often the only time he got a little peace and quiet. As he turned his gaze to the dark garden, he noticed a strange heat reading. There was somebody out there. He walked out into the garden to investigate. Whoever it was, they behind one of the larger hedges that was farthest from the house. As he rounded the corner, he saw that it was Cora. She was sitting on the ground and… was she crying?

"Cora?" he said quietly.

Startled, she looked back at him. Then she turned away again, hastily wiping her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she cleared her throat a little, "I didn't think anyone would be out here."

"No one is, usually. That's why I came to see what was going on," said The Spine, kneeling down behind here, "What's wrong?"

"I had a terrible thought," Cora broke off and shook her head. She wasn't yet able to speak without starting to cry again. She shivered suddenly.

"Just looking at you is making me cold. C'mere."

The Spine wrapped his arms around Cora and pulled her back against his chest. Having a steam boiler inside had its advantages sometimes.

"Thanks," said Cora.

"It's not the first time I've been used for my body heat," The Spine laughed a little.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. When Cora stopped shivering, the silver robot spoke again.

"Do you want to tell me about it? I mean, if you don't want to talk to me, you could try your luck with Gravy Boat Bot, but-"

"I just realized…" she said finally, "They're all going to die. Matt and Paige and all of them. They're going to die someday and, unless something kills me, I won't. I could go on forever. And forever is an awfully long time."

"I know," said The Spine, holding her a little tighter.

"How do you bear it?"

"Well," he thought for a moment, "We sing. We make music, and it makes people feel things. It was the first thing that made us feel, too. We can't stop time and we can't change what we are, but the music is important. I don't know if I could ever explain just how important it is, or why. It's our purpose in life. It's what we were made to do. I suppose we could do other things if we wanted to, but this feels right to us. I suppose that's the advantage of being a robot. Even when we were away at war, we've always known what our purpose was."

"But I'm not a robot," said Cora, "And I'm not a human either. I don't know if I even have a purpose. I'm not sure what I am, and I'm not sure why I'm even alive."

"I think you're alive because a long time ago, you did something very brave and very kind, and it was enough to make a man do everything he could to ensure that you went on being brave and kind."

"Was I really brave, or am I just foolish?" she mused quietly, "No, I suppose that's up to me now, isn't it? It's my decision what I am and what I'm supposed to do. That's a lot of responsibility. It's something that has to be chosen carefully, as much of a promise as a name is."

For a while, they both sat in silence, gazing up at the stars. When The Spine looked back down at Cora, he smiled at something he hadn't noticed before.

"I don't know if this is the wrong time to bring this up," he said, "But did you know that you glow in the dark?"

Cora glanced at her hands. Sure enough, they glowed a faint blue in the darkness. She burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry," she managed, trying to catch her breath, "I don't know why I find that so funny."

The Spine, laughing as well, helped her to her feet, "Let's go back inside."

He walked with Cora to her room. She opened the door, then turned back to The Spine and hugged him.

"Thank you," she said.

"Goodnight," he smiled.

As he walked away down the hall, he heard Cora singing softly to herself:

"_Here I go again,  
I'm breaking up,  
I'm shutting down now…"_


	6. A Scientific Interest

**6. A Scientific Interest**

"Hey, Cora," said Steve one afternoon, "Me and Mike are going to be teaching Matt some more mechanic stuff right now. Do you want to come, too?"

"You'd kinda be learning everything out of order," Michael added, "but you might find it interesting. And it's just good to know in case one of the robots malfunctions and you're the only one around."

"Sure, I'd love to," said Cora, thinking it would be a welcome break from studying blue matter.

A few hours in the workshop was enough to make Cora reconsider that thought. She wished she that was somehow able to access Verity's scientific knowledge, but to no avail. Still, it was very interesting. She was learning a great deal, and she was glad to think that understanding the mechanical side of the robots could make her more useful around the manor.

"Ah, there you are, Verity!" Peter stuck his head into the room, "I just wanted to let you know that'd I'd finished your new heart. Come find me whenever you have a moment, and I'll get the old one replaced, alright?"

"Oh, right. Of course," said Cora.

She wrinkled her nose. She had been doing better in getting used to the idea of what she was, but this blindsided her. She was suddenly very aware of the fact that there were three humans in the room, and she was not one of them.

"I don't mean to run out on you," she said, "But I think I've absorbed about as much as I can for one night. I'm going to take a walk."

"That's fine," said Michael, "We're about done here anyway. We'll probably all head home for the night pretty soon."

"See you later, Cora," said Matt.

"Goodnight, then," said Cora.

Cora threw her jacket around her shoulders and went out into the garden. She was thankful that it hadn't been a warm day. The chill in the night air helped to clear her head. As she walked along behind the furthest row of hedges, she suddenly felt an arm grab her around the shoulders.

"Gorgeous night for a walk, ain't it?"

Cora looked over to see who it was and gasped. It was a robot. He wore a newsboy cap pulled low over his right eye. He looked a little like Rabbit, but the way he leered down at her was unsettling.

"Who are you?" Cora managed to ask.

"Name's Hare. Pleased to meetcha," the strange robot grinned, which did nothing to make him appear friendlier.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me," said Cora, attempting to pull herself away from him, "I need to get back to the house."

"Oh, I don't think so, girly," Hare tightened his grip, "I think you better come with me, quiet-like."

Cora swiftly drove the heel of her hand into the robot's one good eye and ran for the house. Hare, momentarily taken aback, tried to grab hold of her again, but only managed to catch her jacket. He growled in frustration and threw the jacket to the ground, taking off after Cora.

Cora rounded the corner of the path and ran smack into another robot. Stumbling back a bit, she looked up to see the sickly glow of burning yellow eyes set deep into a face like a skull. She screamed. Hare caught up now, clapping a hand firmly over her mouth to stifle the scream.

"You got spunk, sweetheart," he gave a harsh laugh, "I'll give you that much. But if you try anything like that again, I'll-"

The other robot reached over and grabbed Hare by the throat.

"You'll do nothing," he ordered, "Mr. Becile wants her unharmed. Now get her to the car, lamebrain."

"As you wish, numbskull."

xXx

"Hey Spine, have you seen Cora?" Rabbit asked, bouncing into the third floor library, "Hatchy wants her to play with us."

"No, I haven't," said The Spine, "I think she went out for a walk earlier. She should be back soon, how about you wait until she gets back?"

Rabbit sat down across from him. Mere seconds later, the copper robot jumped back up again.

"Nope, she's taking too long. I'm gonna go find her."

Rabbit skipped down the spiral staircase and out the back door, stopping to look around when he got to the garden. Something was wrong. He suddenly felt uneasy, even frightened. But it wasn't his own fear that he felt, nor was it coming from any of his fellow automatons.

"Cora?" he called anxiously.

He heard someone start to scream and he was off like a shot. Rabbit raced through the garden, nearly tripping over something in the darkness. He paused a moment to pick it up. It was Cora's blue jacket. Catching the sound of a scuffle, he ran in that direction, arriving at the edge of the garden just in time to see a black vehicle speeding away from the manor. Rabbit knew who cars like that belonged to.

"S-spine… Spine! Peter! Somebody help!"

Up in the library, The Spine felt Rabbit's panic just before he heard him shouting. He ran downstairs, reaching the main floor as Rabbit came tearing through the back door. The Spine caught him by the shoulders.

"What is it?" he demanded, "What happened?"

The copper robot vocal glitches intensified when he was upset. In his incoherent rambling, The Spine was only able to make out two words:

"Cora… B-B-Beciles!"

xXx

Cora had no idea where she was. Something about the Becile robots felt wrong. The closer she was to them, the longer she was with them, the sicker she felt. She was surprised that she hadn't fainted. She was only dimly aware that Hare had pulled her from the car and was now dragging her through labyrinthine corridors. When he pushed her through a doorway, she stumbled forward, catching onto the first thing she ran into and waiting for her vision to clear.

It was an armchair. Cora could see it distinctly now. She looked up and found herself face to face with another strange robot. He stood motionless, his arms folded, staring at Cora. At least, she assumed he was staring at her. His shaggy hair fell across his golden face, covering his eyes. Cora then realized that he wasn't really folding his arms. He was wearing a straightjacket.

Suddenly, he lunged at her, snapping his jaws and growling like an angry dog. Cora shrieked and fell backwards into Hare's arms. Hare was laughing. He walked towards the other robot, holding Cora tightly and forcing her along so she could not get away.

"Nothin' to be scared of, sweetheart," he said, "Meet my brother, The Jack. Say hello to the nice lady, Jackie boy."

"Hello, nice lady," said The Jack, giggling. His voice was soft, almost like a child's voice. Somehow, that made his presence all the more disturbing.

"See, little girl? We'll all get along just fine if you behave yourself. Nobody's gonna hurt you here. Mr. Becile just wants to know what makes you tick," Hare said, tapping a metal finger against the panel that covered Cora's clockwork heart.

xXx

The Spine had finally gotten Rabbit to calm down. He was still twitching nervously, but at least he was sitting now. He refused to let go of Cora's jacket. The Spine stood behind him with his hands on Rabbit's shoulders. Neither robot would admit it in so many words, but they both found the other's presence reassuring. They were brothers, after all.

Peter had gathered the robots into his study. The seriousness of the situation brought out the seriousness of the often-absentminded scientist.

"We've no time to lose," he said, "We must find out with absolute certainty where the Beciles have taken Verity."

"But that's exactly w-why we need to be out there l-looking for her now!" Rabbit exclaimed.

He tried to rise, but the pressure of The Spine's hands on his shoulders kept him in his seat.

"I'm not going to have you out making what may end up being a fruitless search. Any hastiness on our part will only hurt us in the long run," said Peter as he poured over maps and records of Becile Industries' properties.

"Maybe we should call the humans," Hatchworth suggested, "They could help us."

"No!" Rabbit cried, "N-n-n-no humans! I w-w-won't let that happen again!"

This outburst confirmed The Spine's suspicions. It was over fifty years since that incident. The Spine vividly remembered how the Beciles had stolen Rabbit's power core, the moment he found his lifeless body, and the terrible price which they paid to get the core out of the Beciles' hands and to save Rabbit. For months afterwards, The Spine could hear the nightmares that plagued Rabbit every time he powered down, too strong to be hidden. Now, every bit of that horror came rushing back to the copper robot. The Spine knelt in front of him, putting a hand on his arm.

"Look at me, Rabbit," he ordered gently, "I promise you it's not going to be like that again. Nobody is going to get hurt, and we're going to save Cora. Just you and me, alright?"

Rabbit nodded, holding more tightly to the jacket. Hatchworth, silent until now, walked over to them.

"I'm going to help, too," he said.

"Hatchworth, you haven't had to face the Beciles in years," said The Spine, "It'll be dangerous-"

"Don't forget, The Spine," Hatchworth said firmly, "Cora did save my life. And she's family, isn't she? Pappy would want me to help."

"Yes, I suppose he would, Hatchy," The Spine stood and clapped him on the shoulder.

"I believe I'm getting close to discerning where they've taken Verity," said Peter, "You three should power down and rest while I finish up."

"N-no," Rabbit started.

"Come on, follow me," said The Spine.

He led Rabbit and Hatchworth out of the study and up the stairs to the top floor, and from there up a narrow switchback staircase and onto the roof. For a moment, the three brothers stood silently there in the breeze and the starlight. Rabbit looked down once more at the jacket, then pulled it on over his black shirt. He folded his arms tightly to keep the jacket closed.

"Lay down, Rabbit," said The Spine, "You too, Hatchy."

Rabbit did so hesitantly, and Hatchworth lay down next to him. The Spine sat down at Rabbit's side.

"It's alright," the silver robot said, looking down at him, "We'll be right here. Now go to sleep."

The Spine lay down and took Rabbit's hand. On the other side, Hatchworth did the same. Rabbit sighed and closed his eyes. First he powered down, and then Hatchworth. But The Spine stayed awake, staring up at the stars and watching over his brothers.


	7. Practical Applications

**7. Practical Applications**

Cora tried to focus. She lay on the floor of the small room she had been locked into. Now that the robots were no longer around, she could think a little more clearly. She didn't want to think about them. The Skull's sinister silence, Hare's harsh laughter, that piece of mechanical insanity called The Jack… They inspired only feelings of revulsion and yet, Cora almost pitied them. From what little she could sense of them, their strongest feelings were of pain and bitterness, even fear. They didn't start villainous, she was certain of that. If the Walter robots had gone through what the Becile robots did, would they have fared any better? The thought was a sad one. Still, they had a choice. There's always a choice. Now, if only she could think of some way out of this mess.

The door opened and Hare stepped inside. He grabbed Cora's arm, hauling her to her feet.

"Let's go, sweetheart," he said, "Don't wanna keep Mr. Becile waiting, do ya?"

"Unhand me!" Cora said sharply.

She tried to pull away from him. She couldn't afford to lose the ability to think clearly, but it was no use. Hare only kept her closer as he dragged her through the hallways. Cora could feel herself slipping back into a fog. Her vision clouded and her thoughts slowed.

They came to a room that Cora realized was a lab. There were three people inside, and she was fairly certain that the two assistants called the man with glasses Mr. Becile. A table stood in the center of the room, and Cora noticed that it was outfitted with restraints. She tried very hard not to imagine what a man of science would need with a table like that. She was too disoriented to struggle as Hare lifted her onto the table and strapped her to it. Mr. Becile was speaking now, and she attempted to focus on his voice.

"You two are familiar with our plan, correct?" he said, "We'll keep the cyborg on life support while we detach the clockwork heart and disassemble it. Once we've made detailed schematics and reattached it, we'll be able to do further research on the affects of the blue matter in her cybernetic enhancements. Understood? Now, let's get started. … Ugh, of course, it would require a key. Not to worry. It's one of the lesser known practical applications, but green matter makes an excellent lock-pick."

Cora felt the click as the panel unlocked and sprang open. She shut her eyes tightly. The green matter in such close proximity turned her stomach. She fought the urges to either throw up or pass out, only catching fragments of conversation as Mr. Becile and his assistants began to work.

"…can't find where this disconnects…that's not right…whole section just came loose, set it over there…fool, now you've broken something!"

The door of the lab burst open.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Mr. Becile," it was The Skull's voice, "The Walter robots have infiltrated the building."

"What!" Mr. Becile roared, "How did they get in here? Nevermind! You three, hold them off and make sure they don't get their hands on the cyborg. I'm going to evacuate the building."

Sound of running feet. Someone releasing the restraints.

The Skull: "You carry the girl, pinhead."

Hare: "I always get stuck with the glamour jobs…"

Arms lifting her heedlessly. The Jack giggling. Running.

xXx

The Spine, Rabbit, and Hatchworth ran through the building that was one of the Becile's secret installations. They had gotten inside undetected before they were spotted by a security guard. Now stealth was irrelevant and they had no time to lose.

"This should be the lab," said The Spine.

They burst into the room that Cora had been in just moments ago. Hatchworth picked up something from a tray.

"The Spine, look," he said.

It was a piece of Cora's heart.

"She was here!" said The Spine, "We must have just missed them. Come on, we have to hurry."

"How are we going to find her now?" Hatchworth asked.

"We'll listen for her. If she can sense us, maybe we can sense her too."

Any other time, The Spine would have been disconcerted by Rabbit's grim silence, but he knew that all the copper robot's energy was focused on the task at hand. They started running again. As they rounded a corner, they skidded to a halt. In the middle of the hall, swaying back and forth like a snake, stood The Jack. Rabbit started forward, but Hatchworth caught his arm.

"Don't worry, I've got this," said Hatchworth.

The Spine and Rabbit watched as Hatchworth walked straight up to The Jack.

"Hello, there!" Hatchworth said brightly, "May I interest you in a sandwich?"

"What kind of sandwich…?" asked The Jack.

"It'll be a surprise."

"I love surprises!"

The Jack sat down cross-legged and looked up at Hatchworth expectantly. The bespectacled automaton shot his brothers a glance and a slight nod. They edged past him and down the hallway while he had The Jack distracted.

"Now," Hatchworth was saying, "If you can figure out what kind of sandwich this is in three guesses, I'll give you another one."

As soon as they were out of earshot, The Spine and Rabbit started to run again. They didn't get very far. The Skull stood at the end of the next long hallway.

"If it isn't Pinocchio," he said, "Still hoping you'll turn into a real boy if you're good enough?"

"I'll hold him off," The Spine murmured, "It's up to you, Rabbit. Don't forget to listen for her. Now follow my lead."

The Spine tore down the hallway with Rabbit running directly behind him. The Skull charged. At the last second, The Spine lowered his shoulder, catching The Skull in the abdomen and tackling him as Rabbit vaulted over them and sprinted down the hall.

The sounds of their fight faded, and Rabbit came to a place where two halls intersected. He paused. Turning to look at each hall, he listened for the familiar almost-sound of blue matter. There. It was faint, and it was unlike he'd heard it before. It was a warm resonance in his mind, more acoustic than electric, more like wind than strings or percussion. He raced off, following it to where Hare was nearing the back exit. Hare, still holding a barely conscious and deathly pale Cora, turned as he heard Rabbit approaching.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," said Hare.

"Y-y-you let her go," Rabbit ordered, glaring at him.

"Silly rabbit, heroics are for kids," Hare snickered, "Why dontcha fight me for your lady fair?"

He set Cora down unceremoniously, leaning her against the wall, and walked towards Rabbit.

"If you insist," Rabbit shrugged, "But I've g-got something you don't."

"What's that?" Hare sneered, "The power of friendshi-"

Hare was sent flying back, slammed against the door from the force of Rabbit's punch to his abdomen.

"I was g-going to say superior potential energy," said Rabbit, "But sure, friendship works, too."

He pulled off the blue jacket and went to Cora, kneeling in front of her. The sight of the open panel with the half-disassembled heart ticked irregularly beneath it gave him even more cause for alarm.

"Cora?" he asked.

Getting no response, Rabbit reached forward to touch her face. Cora flinched at the gentle touch. Her eyes opened and she shrank back in fear.

"It's alright," Rabbit continued hurriedly, "It's j-just me."

"Rabbit…?" said Cora.

She grabbed the front of his shirt and leaned her head against his chest. Her breath came shakily as though she was sobbing, but she was too exhausted for tears. Rabbit tensed suddenly as he heard someone approaching, then realized with a sigh of relief that it was Hatchworth and The Spine.

"It's alright," Rabbit repeated as he put the jacket around Cora's shoulders, "We're here n-n-now. You're safe."

"We'd better get out of here," said The Spine.

"Oh, I don't think so."

The robots turned to see Mr. Becile standing in the back doorway. Hare was still on the ground at his feet. Mr. Becile gave the stunned automaton a kick.

"Get up, you useless heap of scrap," he growled.

Hare clambered to his feet as his two counterparts closed in on the group from the other side. The Jack crawled on his knees and elbows, and a disheveled The Skull looked as though he had gotten the worst of his fight with The Spine. The Walter robots eyed them warily, standing defensively around Cora.

"What have we here? The Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion," said Mr. Becile, looking at Rabbit, The Spine, and Hatchworth in turn.

"Surrender Dorothy," The Jack giggled.

"Precisely. Hand over the cyborg, or I promise this will go badly for you."

"Y-y-you just try it," said Rabbit.

"Be quiet, Rabbit!" Cora snapped.

The Walter robots looked back at her in surprise. Cora had risen, leaning against the wall for support. Now she staggered forward a bit to face Mr. Becile. She grabbed onto Rabbit's arm to steady herself, and fixed Mr. Becile with a scornful glare.

"If your idiot lackeys hadn't been so overzealous," she said, her tone dripping with disdain, "you never would've had all this trouble. I was carrying the schematics the whole time, but I dropped my jacket when that creature grabbed me."

Cora glanced at Hare for a moment, then looked back at Mr. Becile. She flung the jacket at him as forcefully as she could.

"Here!" she continued, "They're in the left-hand pocket."

A triumphant grin spread across Mr. Becile's face as he reached greedily into the pocket.

"I knew one of you could be reasonable," he said, "Now I'll… what on earth? Something's grabbed me. Help me, you fools!"

His expression turned to utter panic as his arm was yanked into the pocket up to his shoulder. The Skull grabbed onto his other arm, and Hare onto The Skull's. The Jack, still on the floor, crawled forward and bit onto the leg of Hare's pants, growling like a dog. After a moment's struggle, Mr. Becile disappeared into the pocket with a dismayed cry, never releasing The Skull's arm. Now the robot was elbow-deep in the pocket. Hare let go of him quickly, but The Skull whirled around and grabbed him by the throat.

"Not a chance, pal," he snarled, "If I go down, you're going down with me."

Hare fought to free himself, The Jack still clinging to his leg. With a sudden jerk, The Skull, Hare, and The Jack were all pulled through the portal. The jacket dropped to the floor.

The Walter robots stared at it in silence for a moment. Then Cora laughed weakly.

"I can hardly believe that worked," she said, "A kraken in a pocket dimension, Spine? I never should have doubted it. I'm sorry that I shouted at you, Rabbit. I-"

"No worries, I get it," the copper robot smiled, "You were just being practical."

He put an arm around Cora as she leaned back against him. Hatchworth picked up the jacket and was looking at it curiously.

"I'd be careful with that, Hatchy," The Spine warned, "You know, Cora, they'll probably come back sooner or later."

"Well, I hope they're gone for a good long time," Cora said, "Every time I meet a Becile, it just breaks my heart."

"Was that a pun?" Rabbit looked down at her with an astonished grin.

The Spine shook his head at the awful joke, but had a hard time not smiling at it a little.

"Come on," he said, "Let's get you home."

"Home," she repeated.

Suddenly the air before them shimmered. Through the widening portal, they could see morning sunlight streaming through the windows of Walter Manor.

"I didn't know she could do that," said Hatchworth.

"I don't think she did either," added The Spine.

"Allow me," said Rabbit.

He lifted Cora into his arms and carried her through the portal, The Spine and Hatchworth following closely.

"Do you mind closing that thing, Cora?" said The Spine, "It'll let in a draft."

"Right," Cora answered, and the portal winked out of existence.


	8. Resolution

** 8. Resolution**

Cora closed her eyes for a second, enjoying the warmth of the midday sun. It was good to get out of the manor again. For a few days after she'd been rescued, she had been under orders to get some rest to recover from the incident with the Beciles, and also to adjust to the new heart Peter had built. The automatons had seemed reluctant to leave her alone. Rabbit, uncharacteristically quiet, refused to leave her side for the first day. Cora was glad to see him gradually regain his usual exuberance as he bounced in and out of the room, chattering animatedly. Even when one of the robots wasn't in her room, Cora was certain that one of them was lingering in the hall or walking in the garden beneath her window.

When she finally convinced them that she was sufficiently recovered, and demonstrated that she could escape through portals of her own making in case of another Becile incident, they consented to relax their protectiveness. Today, Hatchworth had wanted to go to the farmers' market down the road. Cora had no idea why a robot would be interested in organic produce, but since nobody else was available, she was playing chaperone. Anyone who lived near Walter Manor had long since gotten used to strange sights, so the appearance of an oddly dressed girl and an excitable robot at the farmers' market did not draw much notice aside from the enthusiastic greetings of two fangirls.

They walked back to the manor. Cora listened obligingly as Hatchworth expounded upon the benefits of organic produce. This was his latest obsession, and he was always eager to share what he had learned in researching his current interest. Cora found his whole-hearted fixation endearing, even when she didn't quite follow all of what he said.

As they walked through the front doorway, they were greeted with shouts of: "Surprise!"

Cora looked around in astonishment. A banner reading "Welcome Home" hung from the ceiling, although it looked like something else had been crossed out on the opposite side. All the people Cora already knew had gathered in the foyer, as well as some she had not met or gotten to know. There were a few other automatons, a whole passel of crocheted doppelgangers, a Walter girl with black instead of blue lips, and more Walters that had previously been away from the manor.

"What's going on?" Cora gasped.

"It's an official welcome home party for you," said The Spine with a smile.

"I was the distraction," Hatchworth said, fairly bouncing up and down with glee, "See, The Spine? You didn't think I could keep a secret, but I did so keep it a secret!"

"He did," Cora laughed, "I never suspected a thing."

"Why don't we go into the dining room?" Peter's mother suggested, "I hope you don't mind if we don't use the good china. We haven't got any, you see."

The whole bunch of them trouped off to the dining room. They had gotten together a rather magnificent spread that even the robots partook in. Cora made a mental note to make sure and ask how that actually worked. There was eating, and talking, and no small amount of laughter when Cora forgot herself and made a face when Peter called her Verity.

"That's right," said The Spine, "You were going to come up with a new name for yourself, weren't you? Did you ever decide on anything?"

"I did," said Cora, hesitating for a moment, "I decided on Valiant. I know it's a little presumptuous, and more than a little silly-"

"N-no sillier than Rabbit," the copper robot interrupted.

"Or The Spine," his brother added.

"Michael, is Hatchworth a silly name?" the bespectacled automaton asked quietly.

"But if the name you choose a promise you make to yourself," she continued, "Then it'll give me something to live up to."

"Then may you be valiant," said Peter, raising his glass, "I propose a toast. To our Valiant Verity Edgeworth, welcome home!"

Valiant, as she was now called, smiled as they drank to her. At least Peter was trying. They all jumped as Hatchworth smashed his glass onto the floor.

"I was researching toasting traditions," he said, "Did you know that in Russia, they break their glasses after a toast because-"

"Now you see why we don't have any good china, dear," whispered Peter's mother to Valiant.

xXx

Valiant looked around her room. She had just finished putting away the housewarming presents she had received (including a full Nerf arsenal from Michael, Matt, and Steve). Hatchworth and Rabbit had taken it upon themselves to paint _Valiant Edgeworth _on her door in bright colors, surrounded by ridiculous designs. They had even convinced The Spine to help with the painting. That is, until they decided it would be more fun to paint him instead. It took the Walter girls almost an hour to clean him off.

"Have the two, uh, artists finished up?" he asked warily.

"Yes," said Valiant, "The humans took away the paint when they finished so they couldn't get up to any more trouble with it, so they ran off someplace else."

"It looks… nice," he said, unable to keep the unconvinced expression from his face.

"It looks absurd," Valiant laughed, "but it was a sweet gesture. And it's sweet of you all to still be so welcoming after all the trouble I've caused you. I hope you won't regret inviting me to call this place my home."

"It seemed like the practical thing to do," The Spine said lightly.

"Oh, well if it's for the sake of practicality, then I have no choice but to stay," said Valiant with mock seriousness.

"Honestly, though," said The Spine, "It's no greater trouble than we've gone to for lesser things, and no greater danger than we've been in before. We're all family here. We'd do just about anything for each other."

"I hope you all know that I'd do just about anything for you, too," Valiant said earnestly, "I do mean to live up to my name."

"I believe you," The Spine smiled.

"But, I'm not sure what to do with myself now. I've gotten this far, and now what? Life just goes on?" Valiant frowned and looked away for a moment as she realized what she had just said, "Oh, don't worry, Spine. I'm not going to start crying again, and I'm not exactly looking for answers. It's just the question in the back of my mind."

"I suppose other people would call that human nature, but you and I know it's more than that. Still, if you stick with us, Valiant, I can promise you it'll always be an adventure."

"There are whole other worlds to explore, aren't there? And I haven't even begun to see all there is of this one. So many things to learn and adventures to have, and a few rather amazing friends to share it with," she lifted her head and looked back to smile at The Spine, "I suppose that's a good place to start for a cyborg like me."

This time it was The Spine's turn to start forward and impulsively pull her into a hug.

xXx

That evening, Valiant walked to the window and stared out into the moonlight. In the garden, The Spine was dancing a foxtrot with a lady robot in a red dress. A distant crash in the manor heralded that Rabbit was up to some mischief. Hatchworth had almost certainly returned to his vault for the night. This is home, Valiant thought as she crawled into bed. Life goes on, and that's just fine. She sang softly to herself as she fell asleep:

"_I am not an unimaginable thing.  
My thoughts are tangible though they're full of springs.  
I don't have the heart to send you untruthful words.  
My skin is cold to the touch and made from the earth…"_

THE BEGINNING


End file.
